Computing and measuring machine.



I. J. SMUCKER.

COMPUTING AND MEASURING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, I915- 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

725 attorney.

mum-mun! a! I 170110717607" .ITw JT Smack/e7" THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

I. J. SMUCKER. COMPUTING AND MEASURING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. 1915. 1,1?2,43. Patented Feb. 22,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Elven/7502* I769 OZ- Smucher THE COLUMBIIA PLANOGRAPH co" WASHINGTON, I) Q.

IRA J'. SMUCKER,

or CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

COMPUTING AND MEASURING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

Application filed April 12, 1915. Serial No. 20,953.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, IRA J. SMUGKER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, count-y of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Computing and Measuring Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in a computing and measuring device designed for use in the selling of material of lineal measurement, such as cloth and the like, and has for its object the production of a device of this character adapted to facilitate the measuring of the material which is being sold and the computing of the price of the material.

A further object is the production of a device of this character which will be of durable and economical construction, one which may be readily and easily installed for use, one which be readily and easily operated, and one which will be highly efficient in use.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a device embodying the invention, the same being shown applied for use, Fig. 2, a partially sectional front elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3, an enlarged sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, Fig. 4, an enlarged sectional view taken on line 44: of Fig. 2, and, Fig. 5, an enlarged sectional View taken on line 55 of Fig. 1.

The preferred form of construction as illustrated in the drawings comprises an elongated metallic casing consisting of a body 6 closed at its upper side by a plate 7, the parts 6 and 7 being rigidly secured together.

The device is designed for use especially in connection with a counter, such as a dry goods counter, it being intended to arrange the same along the inner edge of the counter. The device is fastened in position by means of tacks 8 which pass through suitably located perforations provided in the plate 7 into the counter 9 1n conjunction with which the device is employed. The

tacks 8 are provided with rounded heads which project above the upper surface of plate 7 to constitute measuring points, and facilitate measuring along the lineal scale 10 provided upon the upper side of plate 7 adjacent the inner edges thereof. The scale 10 is one yard in length, the same being divided into inches and fractions thereof with the heads of tacks 8 designating fractions of yards as indicated.

Rotatably mounted in the casing 6 is a pair of superposed rollers 11 operatively connected together by meshing gears 12 provided at corresponding ends of said rollers. The upper one of said rollers is provided at its ends with exteriorly positioned knurled heads 13 whereby said rollers may be manually rotated. The heads 13 are secured in position by screws 14:. Cooperating with the upper roller 11, as clearly shown in Fig. 5 is also a helical compression spring 15 engaging with one of the heads 13 which serves to take up any lost longitudinal movement of said roller.

Cooperating with the rollers 11 is a flexible element or ribbon 16 preferably of fabric, the ends of which are wrapped upon said rollers and secured thereto by means of slit tubes 17 which embrace said rollers and which clampingly engage with the ends of said flexible element as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The arrangement is such that feeding of said flexible element from one roller to the other may be effected by rotation of the heads 13.

Provided upon one side of the element 16 are horizontal rows of characters 18, each row indicating a price per yard and the prices of yards and fractions thereof with the said price per yard as a unit. Said rows of characters 18 are arranged for exposure at exposure openings 19 and 20 formed in the plate 7 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Arranged along one edge of the opening 19 are graduations 21 indicating units of lineal measurement in yards and fractions thereof. The arrangement is such that the terminal characters 18 of the rows which are positioned for exposure at the openings 20 indicate the price per yard, whereas the characters which are exposed at the opening 19 indicate the prices of yards and fractions thereof with the price per yard exposed at the openings 20 as a unit, the quantity of material corresponding with the last mentioned characters being shown by the gradnations 21. For instance in the showing in Fig. l the price per yard is thirty-seven and one-half cents. lVith this as a unit the price of five-eighths of ayard is twenty-four cents, two yards seventy-five cents, sixteen yards six dollars, twenty-one yards seven dollars and eighty-eight cents, etc.

Mounted upon the casing for cooperation with the characters 18 and 21 is a designator consisting of a frame in which is arranged a magnifying glass 23 which is positioned directly above the rows of characters or graduations 18 and 21. The base of the frame 22 is formed with a flange 24 which slidably embraces one edge of the opening 19. At the outer edge of said frame 22 is provided a cam member 26 having its inner end eccentrically connected as at 25 with the lower end of the frame 22, said inner end of said cam member being adapted to engage under the flange 27 which is formed at the inner side of the casing 6. The arrangement is such as will be seen that the designator may be readily and easily slid along the casing to registration with any one of the characters 21 and the corresponding characters 18 in order to designate and facilitate the reading of the same. The arrangement is such that the weight of the outer end of the handle 25 will cause the inner end thereof to clampingly engage with the inner end 27 so as to normally lock the designator in position. In order, therefore, to release the designator it is necessary to raise the outer end of the handle as will be readily understood. hen the position of adjustment has been reached, upon the release of the handle, the same will move automatically to releasing position in order to lock the designator in its adjusted position.

Provided at one end of scale 10 is a marker comprising a stick 28 of crayon or other marking material which is mounted in a tubular holder 29 having a base 30 adapted to be secured to the supporting element 9 by screws 81; The member 28 is thus positioned with one end positioned slightly above the plate 7 so as to permit of the insertion of the material being measured there under. In order to guide the material under said marking member the adjacent end of the base member 30 is formed with an inclined surface 32 Figs. 1 and4 which serves to guide the material toposition under said marking member when the material is slid toward said member. The member 28 is positioned directly over the zero mark of the scale 10 and serves to automatically mark the material at this point so that when a second yard is measured the terminal of the first yard will be absolutely fixed. Provided at the opposite end of the plate 7 is a thumb stop 33 secured to the supporting member 9 by screws 34. The upper side of the stop 33 is inclined as clearly shown in Fig. 2 so as to engage with the thumb. in moving the latter along the scale 10, said stop being so positioned that the thumbin engaging therewith will be stopped in a position in which the inner edge of the thumb will register with the terminal mark of the scale 10 at this end of the scale. l/Vith this arrangement then it will be seen that in the measuring of more than one yard of material, the marking member 28 will serve to designate the yards measured and the thumb stop 33 will cooperate with the thumb so as to properly position the marking made by the marker 28 upon the goods in registration with the terminal mark at the opposite end of the scale.

In using the device the clerk first determines the price per yard of the material to be purchased. This having been done the rollers 11 are adjusted by engagement with one or the other of the heads 13 to expose the price per yard of the material at the openings 20. The designator is then adjusted to position to magnifying glass 23 in registration with character 21 corresponding with the yards of material which have been asked for by the purchaser. This having been done the material is measured along the scale 10 in the manner above set forth using the marking device and the thumb stop in this operation. The designator serves to positively fix the quantity purchased and to prevent any mistake in this regard. After the material has been measured and severed the salesman refers to the character 18 desig nated by the designator for the price of the material purchased. Thus the device set forth serves to facilitate the measuring of the material purchased and the computing of the price of the same.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: j 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with computing mechanism, of a lineal scale; a marking device provided at one end of said scale, said marking device comprising a stick of marking material arranged above and spaced slightly from said scale; a holder for said marking member; and an inclined surface leading upwardly toward said marln'ng member, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, the

combination with computing mechanism, of

a lineal scale; a marking device provided at In testimony whereof I have signed my one end of said scale, said marking device name to this specification in the presence of 10 comprising a stick of marking material artwo subscribing Witnesses.

ranged above and spaced slightly from said scale; and a tubular holder for said marking IRA J. SMUCKER. member cut away at its under side at one Witnesses:

end to expose said marking member, sub- JOSHUA R. H. PoTTs,

stantially as described. HELEN F. LILLIs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

